UConn Falls To Mercyhurst 4-1 In Atlantic Hockey Semifinal

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — For a little while Friday night, though not long enough, everything was lining up the way the UConn hockey team envisioned. The Huskies were faster than Mercyhurst, better, and creating their own luck, it seemed.

Trevor Gerling's goal from the left was partially whiffed, a fluttering puck that sneaked between the glove and leg pad of Lakers goalie Jordan Tibbett. That put UConn on the board just 7:36 in and put an exclamation point on the Huskies' dominant start.

But from there, Mercyhust took hold of this Atlantic Hockey semifinal and never let it go. The sixth-seeded Lakers advanced to Saturday's championship game and ended UConn's season with a 4-1 victory over the Huskies at Blue Cross Arena.

The goal that pretty much clinched it, making it 3-1 with 6:11 remaining, was a twice-deflected slap shot from the point that was last touched by the stick of Ryan Misiak. UConn goalie Matt Grogan, who made 29 saves, was in a helpless spot.

"One of those goals, but when it's their night, those things happen," UConn interim coach Dave Berard said.

The Huskies (19-14-4) finished with a winning record for the first time since 1999-2000 but came up one victory shy of advancing to their first AHA championship game. UConn, which will leave Atlantic Hockey for Hockey East in 2014-15, has one more chance to win a title before moving on to bigger and better things.

"I guess [this season] can be a building block," said Grogan, who will return for his final year of eligibility in 2013-14.

Berard ran the team during Bruce Marshall's medical leave and took over when Marshall announced his resignation in January. UConn entered Friday's game having gone 10-2-2 in its previous 14 games. The Huskies also carried a seven-game unbeaten streak, which was tied with Notre Dame for second-longest in the nation.

"I couldn't be any more proud and everything that we've accomplished," Berard said. "To start 0-4-1, to go through the adversity we went through, with Bruce's resignation and medical leave, these kids could have taken two roads. They could have taken the road of, it's too hard and the season's a wash and let's just get through it. Or they could take the route that they took, which was stand up and change what was happening and make something of it. Right now it hurts that we lost, but I think we'll look back on this season as a benchmark for the future of our program."

UConn could not convert a 5-on-3 power play that lasted 1:40 late in the first period, and momentum completely shifted from there.

"I think after they killed that, we didn't get many scoring chances or momentum," said UConn senior Sean Ambrosie, a captain for his final two years with the team. "They really came out flying in the second."

The Lakers tied the game 9:15 into the second on a goal by Zac Frischmon, who capitalized on a failed UConn clearing attempt and beat Grogan to the glove side. Less than seven minutes later, Mercyhurst took a 2-1 lead, with Paul Chiasson redirecting a shot. Chiasson had two goals, including an empty-netter.

No. 6 Mercyhurst (19-16-5) will face No. 7 Canisius, which defeated top-seeded Niagara in Friday's other semifinal, in Saturday's championship game. Mercyhurst is in the championship game for the first time since losing to Air Force in 2009. Canisius is making its first appearance.

"We got a little bit on our heels in the second after they scored their first goal, and we just never really recovered," Berard said.